OAuth/OpenID Single Sign On (SSO) into Jira using Okta
Experience seamless access to Jira with our OAuth/OpenID app integrated with Okta, empowering effortless Single
Sign-On (SSO) functionality for Jira Software and Jira Service Desk. Our solution seamlessly integrates with all
OAuth/OpenID Providers, ensuring flexibility and compatibility.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the setup process, helping you configure SSO between Jira and your
OAuth/OpenID Provider for seamless access to Jira Software and Service Desk.
We’ve also created a comprehensive video tutorial with detailed visual steps on configuring Okta as your OpenID
Provider with the Jira OAuth Client, check it out below:
For more details on the miniOrange OAuth/OpenID SSO plugin and its features, check out our comprehensive OAuth/OpenID SSO handbook.
Pre-requisites
Before proceeding with the integration of your OAuth/OpenID Provider and Jira, ensure that the following
prerequisites are met:
Ensure that Jira has been installed and configured appropriately.
Enable HTTPS on the Jira Server (optional, but recommended).
Establish admin credentials for Jira.
Obtain a valid Jira Server and Data Center License.
Download And Installation
Log into your Jira instance as an admin.
Navigate to the Settings Menu and click on Manage Apps.
Next, click on Find new apps option on the left-hand menu of the page.
For the developer account, switch to Classic UI to configure the app.
Inside the admin console, go to Applications → Applications from the left-hand menu and then
click on Create App Integration.
Next, choose OIDC OpenID Connect as the sign-on method and Web as the
platform. Proceed by clicking Next.
Upon redirection to the app details page, specify the App integration name and Sign-in
redirect URIs. Ensure to copy the Callback URL from the plugin for configuring the
Login Redirect URL in your IDP. Click Saveonce you’re done.
Next, you’ll be redirected to the My Web App details page. Retrieve the Client
ID and Client Secret for future reference.
Step 2: Configuring JIRA as OAuth Client
Navigate to Manage Apps in Jira and click on Configure under OAuth/OpenID Connect (OIDC) for Jira SSO.
Next, click on Add New Provider and select your desired Identity Provider (IDP). If your preferred IDP is not listed, you can opt for a custom IDP.
Once done, enter Client ID, Client Secret, Okta Domain and required scopes, such as an openid email profile, and hitSave.
Pro Tip: You can find your Okta domain by clicking on your username in the top-right corner of the Admin Console. The domain will be displayed in the dropdown menu.
Additionally, you can also input the JWKS EndPoint URL or Public Key for signature validation.
For instance: https://${yourOktaDomain}/oauth2/${authServerId}/v1/keys
Finally, click on Test Configuration to verify the accuracy of the provided details.
Step 3: User Profiles
We will be setting up user profile attributes for Jira. If your users are stored in a directory that is Read
Only, please check Disable Attribute Mapping in User Profile tab and follow steps given in Matching a User.
a. Finding correct attributes
Go to Configure OAuth tab. Scroll down and click on Test Configuration.
You will see all the values returned by your OAuth/OpenID Provider to Jira in a table. If you don't see a
value for First Name, Last Name, Email or Username, make the required settings in your OAuth/OpenID Provider
to return this information.
Once you see all the values in Test Configuration, keep the window open and go to User
Profile tab.
b. Setting profile attributes
In this tab, fill the values by matching the name of the attribute. For instance, if the Attribute Name
in the Test Configuration window is NameID, enter NameID against Username
Setting up both Username and Email is required if you want to let users register. If you want existing users
to the only login, configure the attribute using which you will match the user in Jira.
c. Matching a User
When the user logs into
Jira, one of the user's data/attribute coming in from the OAuth/OpenID Provider is used to search the user in
Jira. This is used to detect the user in Jira and log in the user to the same account.
Go to User Profile tab
Select Username or Email for Login/Search Jira user account by
Enter the attribute name from OAuth/OpenID Provider which corresponds to Username or Email using Finding Correct Attributes
d. Custom Attribute Mapping
The custom attributes recieved in the OAuth/OpenID response can be configured using Configure User
Properties(Custom Attributes) option.
Click Add Attributes .
Enter the attribute name( E.g. department) as User Property Key.
This option will be added in the profiles of Jira Users.
Corresponding to this key, fill the attribute value you recieved in Test Configuration
window. For instance, if the Attribute Name in the Test Configuration window is Department, enter Department
as Attribute.
Another attribute e.g. location can be added by reclicking on Add Attributes option.
Step 4: User Groups
We will be setting up user group attributes for Jira. If your users are stored in a directory that is Read Only,
please check Disable Group Mapping in User Groups tab and skip to Setting default group.
a. Setting default group
Select the users' Default Group in the tab User Groups. If no group is
mapped, users are added by default to this group.
You can enable default groups for All Users or New Users using the
option.Select None if you don't want to assign any default group to SSO users, using the
option Assign Default Group To.
b. Finding Group Attribute
Just like we found Attribute Name for User Profile attributes, we find group attribute.
Go to Configure OAuth tab. Scroll down and click on Test Configuration.
You will see all the values returned by your OAuth/OpenID Provider to Jira in a table. If you don't see
value with groups, make the required settings in your OAuth Providerto return group names.
Once you see all the values in Test Configuration, keep the window open and go to User
Groups tab.
Enter the Attribute Name of group against Group Attribute.
Check Disable Group Mapping option if you don't want to update groups of existing users.
c. Group Mapping
Group Mapping can be done in two ways:
Manual group mapping: If the names of groups in Jira are different than the corresponding
groups in OAuth/OpenID Provider, then you should use Manual group mapping.
On-The-Fly group mapping: If the names of groups in Jira and OAuth/OpenID Provider are
same, you should use On-The-Fly group mapping.
I. Manual Group Mapping
Check Restrict User Creation Based on Group Mapping option if you want new users to be
created only if at least one of the user's OAuth/OpenID Provider groups is mapped to a group in the
application.
For mapping, first select a Jira group from the dropdown which lists all groups present in Jira and
then enter the name of the OAuth/OpenID Provider group to be mapped in the textbox beside
For example, if you want all users in 'dev' group in OAuth/OpenID Provider to be added to
jira-software-users, you will need to select jira-software-users from the dropdown and enter 'dev'
against jira-software-users.
Use '+1' and '+10' buttons to add extra mapping fields.
Use '-' button next to each mapping to delete that mapping.
II. On-The Fly Group Mapping
Check Create New Groups option if you want new groups from OAuth/OpenID Provider to be
created if not found in Jira.
If the user is part of some group in Jira and that group is not present in the OAuth/OpenID response
returned by OAuth/OpenID Provider, then the user will be removed from that group in Jira.
If you don't want On-The-Fly group mapping to affect Jira groups which are managed locally then add
those groups in Exclude Groups field.
Step 5: Sign In Settings
The settings in the SSO Settings tab define the user experience for Single Sign On.
a. Sign In Settings
Set Enable SSO for Jira Software to allow SSO for Jira Software users.
Change the text on the SSO button on the login page using the Login Button Text option.
Set the Relay State to the URL to which the users would be redirected after login. Keep
this empty to redirect users to the same page they started with.
Enable Auto-redirect to OAuth/OpenId Provider if you want to allow users to login only
using OAuth/OpenId Provider. Enable backdoor for emergency.
Restrict the access of backdoor URL to limited users by using the Restrict backdoor URL
access based on user groups feature.
Use Domain Restriction to allow login to only a specific set of users. You can configure
multiple domains (semicolon-separated).
For example, if only 'miniorange.in' and 'gmail.com' domains are allowed then, the user test@miniorange.in
and test@gmail.com will be able to log in and user test@yahoo.com will not be able to login.
Select Secure Admin Login Options to control admin access. User needs to authenticate again
to access admin settings or to perform any admin operation. This helps you to add an extra level of security
for admin access.
b. Service Desk SSO Settings
Set Enable SSO For ServiceDesk Customer Portal to allow SSO for Service Desk user.
Set Enable SSO Only For Agents to allow SSO only for specific set of users.
Enable Auto-redirect to Provider if you want to allow users to login to ServiceDesk only
using provider and use Disable Auto Redirect to Provider to allow basic login for selective
customer portals.
c. Sign Out Settings
Set Logout URL or Logout Template to redirect users after logout action.
d. SSO Error Settings
Set error template to redirect users to a custom error page instead of
login page. Use this if you have Auto-redirect to Provider enabled.
e. Advanced SSO Settings
Set the restriction to access of Plugin API outside the Jira environment by Restrict access to
plugin API's.
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Navigate to the User Profile section in the left sidebar to set up user profile attributes
for Jira. If your user directory is read-only, disable the User Profile Mapping option in
this tab and
proceed directly to the Matching a User step.
3.1 Identifying Correct Attributes
Access the SSO Endpoints tab and click on Test Configuration.
In the pop-up that appears, review the table displaying all values returned by your OAuth/OpenID Provider to
Jira. If essential attributes like First Name, Last Name, Email, or
Username are missing, adjust the settings in your OAuth/OpenID Provider accordingly.
Once you've confirmed all values in the Test Configurationpopup window, proceed to the
User
Profile tab.
3.2 Configuring Profile Attributes
In the User Profile tab, populate the fields by matching attribute names. For instance,
if the Attribute Name in the Test Configuration window is NameID, enter
NameID as Username.
It's essential to set up both Username and Email if you allow user
registration. Alternatively, you can restrict login to existing users by deselecting the Allow User
Creation option in the Advanced SSO Options tab.
3.3 User Attribute Matching
When a user logs into Jira, data or attributes from the OAuth/OpenID provider are used to search for that
user in Jira and facilitate login. To match the attributes:
Navigate to the User Profile tab.
Choose either Username or Email as the login for the Jira user account.
Enter the attribute name from the OAuth/OpenID Provider that corresponds to the Username or
Email as identified in the Identifying Correct Attributes step.
3.4 Custom Attribute Mapping
You can configure custom attributes received in the OAuth/OpenID response using the
Configure User Properties(Extended Attributes) section.
Click on Add Attribute Mapping.
Enter the attribute name( E.g. department) as User Property Key in the Select Jira
Attribute to Map field.
For each attribute, input the corresponding value retrieved from the Attributes from IDP
tab in the Test Configuration window. For example, if the attribute name in the Test
Configuration window
is Department,
enter Department as the Attribute Value.
Additional attributes, such as location, can be added by selecting the Add Attribute
Mapping option.
Step 4: User Group Mapping
As we proceed to configure user group attributes for Jira, you have the option to enable group mapping.
If you wish to do so, please ensure to select Enable Group Mapping in the User Groups tab.
Alternatively, you
can proceed directly to setting the default group.
4.1 Setting the Default Group
In the User Groups tab, select the default group for users. If no group is mapped, users
are automatically added to this group.
Using the Assign Default Group To option, you can assign default groups to all users or new users. Choose
None if you prefer not to assign any default group to SSO users.
4.2 Finding Group Attribute
To identify group attributes, go to the Configure OAuth tab and click on Test
Configuration. Review the values returned by your OAuth/OpenID provider to Jira in the table.
If group values are missing, adjust the
settings in your OAuth provider to include group names.
After reviewing all values in Test Configuration, proceed to the User Groups tab. Enter the
Attribute Name of the group under Group Attribute.
Check Disable Group Mapping option if you don't want to update groups of existing users.
4.3 Group Mapping
Group mapping can be done manually or on the fly:
Manual group mapping: If the names of groups in Jira are different than the corresponding
groups in OAuth/OpenID Provider, then you should use Manual group mapping.
On-The-Fly group mapping: If the names of groups in Jira and OAuth/OpenID Provider are
same, you should use On-The-Fly group mapping.
4.3.1 Manual Group Mapping
Check the Allow User Creation based on Group Mapping option if you want new users
to be created only
if at least one of the user's OAuth/OpenID Provider groups is mapped to a group in the application.
Select a Jira group from the dropdown list and enter the name of the OAuth/OpenID Provider group to
be mapped in the Groups from Applications textbox.
For instance, if you want all users in the 'dev' group of OAuth/OpenID providers to
be added to jira-software-users, you will need to select jira-software-users from the dropdown and
enter
'dev' against jira-software-users.
You can use the '+' and '+10' buttons to add extra mapping fields,
and the '-' button to delete mappings.
4.3.2 On-The Fly Group Mapping
If the group names in both Jira and the OAuth/OpenID provider match, opt for On-The-Fly group
mapping.
Check the Create New Groups option to create new groups from the OAuth/OpenID
Provider if not found in Jira.
Preserve existing user groups by selecting the Keep Existing User Groups option.
Unticking this option will remove the user from a Jira group if it's not present in the OAuth/OpenID
response.
Deselect the Keep Existing User Groups option to prevent On-The-Fly group mapping
from affecting locally managed Jira groups. Add those groups to the Exclude Groups
field.
Step 5: SSO Setting
The configurations within the SSO Settings tab are pivotal in shaping the user experience for Single Sign-On.
5.1 Sign In Settings
Enable Auto Redirect to Application to redirect users to the OAuth/OIDC provider when
accessing the Jira login page. You can set a delay before redirection.
Next, toggle the Enable Backdoor Login option for emergency access using a backdoor URL.
Restrict access to this URL for specific groups if needed.
You can use Domain Restriction to allow login for specific user domains and configure
multiple allowed domains (semicolon-separated).
The Secure Admin Login option ensures the re-authentication of admin users before accessing
pages with administrative permissions.
5.2 Redirection Rules
Redirection rules allow you to redirect users to login pages/providers based on their email domains. This
functionality is especially useful with multiple configured providers.
To create a new rule, go to the Redirection Rules tab and click Add Rule.
Next, give the rule a name and set the conditions for redirection. Click Save once you’re
done.
You can also set a default rule if no other rule conditions are met.
Once you set a redirection rule, users who fulfill its conditions will be shown a login form, prompting them
to input their username/email address. You can set domain-based rules for directing users to specific
providers as well.
5.3 Global SSO Settings
You can enable/disable SSO for Jira Software and Service Desk from the Global SSO Settings tab.
If enforcing SSO for Service Desk Agents only, select Enable SSO Only For Service Desk Agents.
You have the option to activate SSO for both Jira software and service desk by selecting Enable SSO for Jira Software and Enable SSO for Jira Service Desk respectively.
The app also gives you options to adjust additional settings like Allow Users to Change Password, Restrict Access to Plugin APIs, and Auto Activate Users on SSO.
To keep users logged in until explicitly logged out, you can enable Remember Me-Cookie in the Session Management tab.
5.4 Look and Feel
You can customize the appearance of your login page and error messages from the Look and Feel tab.
The plugin has provisions for modifying the default login button text and designing the login page using customisable templates.
You can also set a Custom Logout URL from the Post Logout Configuration tab to redirect users to a specific screen after they logout.
The SSO Error Message section allows you to customize the error message displayed to users.
Configure SCIM with OAuth
Set up SCIM with OAuth for your chosen IDP by following the step-by-step guide provided in this guide.
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